Co-coverage of social protection programs and maternal and child nutrition interventions in Bangladesh, India and Nepal

Social protection programs (SPPs) are common in South Asia, a global malnutrition hotspot. Provision of SPP benefits as well as essential health/nutrition interventions to mothers and children are goals for optimal health and development outcomes, but the degree of co-coverage of SPPs and health/nutrition interventions among beneficiary households is poorly described. Using six population-based surveys from 2012 to 2019 in Bangladesh, India, and Nepal (n=253,703 women with children under five years of age), we examined data availability for SPPs (food and cash transfers) and health/nutrition interventions, and estimated their coverage and co-coverage during a woman’s last pregnancy (interventions: take-home food rations plus at least four antenatal care visits, receipt of at least 100 iron-folic acid tablets, deworming, and tetanus injections), after delivery (cash benefit plus the interventions above), and in children (take-home ration for the child plus vitamin A supplementation, deworming, iron syrup, growth monitoring, and nutrition counseling). In India, 52% and 51% of women and children, respectively, received food transfers, but only 3% and 8% received food plus all health/nutrition interventions. In India and Nepal, respectively, cash after delivery was received by 41% and 86% of women, but only 2% and 21% received cash after delivery plus all health/nutrition interventions. There was insufficient data to estimate coverage of both SPPs and health/nutrition interventions in Bangladesh. Our findings highlight the need for data on both SPP and health/nutrition intervention coverage in household surveys. There are missed opportunities to reach women and children with interventions across multiple sectors.